Tuesday, February 24, 2015

What I have to say right now is you have choices with regard to treating today’s autism. What I want to express is my own personal raw sentiments on how I believe today’s autism has a huge medical component and we as mothers can treat it.
I worked in medicine before autism entered my life, ten plus years. I don’t base my treatments for my son on the opinion of an actor, the American Academy of Pediatrics, or anyone else. No, I went with my gut. My son was not born with autism. He regressed horribly after his shots at 15 months old. There, I said it, that controversial phrase: “after his shots.” After diagnosis, my husband and I were heartbroken, scared, and pretty much in a fog.

Spartan’s son before biomedical treatments

One really horrible afternoon I was screaming, “Please JUST talk to me, please!” because my son was just sitting at the kitchen table flapping his hands and staring into space. My husband literally picked me up off the floor and said, “We can continue to feel sorry for ourselves and depressed or get our son real help. Do you know anyone from your past work in the medical field? And the light bulb went off … I remembered Dr. Kenneth Bock who worked across the bridge when I worked in Kingston. He had a book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma and Allergies and had successfully helped parents over the years.
The naval hospital physician wasn’t really on board with my suggestions of B12 supplementation and diet change. So, until we could get off Okinawa to San Diego, we took matters in our own hands. We changed his diet and added fish oils. I am grateful for the support of my friends from afar from New York, my husband and his fellow marines, the people I did Crossfit with, and the local nationals I was friends with in Okinawa, Japan who taught me the benefits of local nutritious food and green tea.
The last two years were about getting my son back with the help of one of the most preeminent pediatricians in this country. If you’re out there reading this, Doctor, I want to say “thank you.” Thank you for treating me with respect and honesty, and validating me with the full, comprehensive blood work and other test you ran on my son after you saw him in your office flapping his hands, posturing from horrific gut pain, and being completely non-verbal.
After we got my son’s comprehensive results, I discovered my son had gut damage, mitochondrial issues, high viral load, low white-cell count, was deficient in vitamin D3 and all basic minerals. Now I had answers and an action plan to treat him. A far cry from our experience with the previous physician who sat across from my 18-month-old son and stated, “Mrs. O’Neil, accept your new normal. Your son was born this way.”
Of course we had those who didn’t believe in what we were doing. My mother-in-law judged me and called me crazy, I had friends who worked in the special education field who were telling me to just accept that he was born this way, get him more therapy, and don’t be one of those “Crazy Moms.” I just didn’t listen. It was my son that mattered at the end of the day.
Once I met with his new doctor I just knew I was doing the right thing. At that point we were five months into diet change (gluten/casein free, etc.), and my son’s digestion, temperament and frequency of hand flapping changed. We jumped in full throttle then. Methyl b12 was added to the mix, and my son turned to me and said “I love you, Mom” not long after. I did not put my son in traditional therapies for one year during treatment to see what was working. As we targeted each ailment we found on blood work and other tests, he came back to me more and more.
This journey has been an emotionally hard, but worthy one. I faced a good bit of adversity in the beginning. I felt vindicated this year as I sat across from the IEP team and my son was released from services. I even received an apology from one therapist who doubted my methods at my son’s initial evaluation two years ago.I am not rich or famous. I am just a marine sergeant’s wife who really researched and went against the mainstream in regards to treatment. It has given me a new perspective on life in general. My husband has been my rock through this, even though he was deployed and I was handling all of it, along with taking care of a brand-new baby. As I sat and watched my son on the playground yesterday, I thought, “Not one person here knows what we have been through the past two years.” And, after I set up a play date with another mother for next week, I vowed to myself to help as many mothers I could by sharing our story.

Spartan’s son after biomedical treatments

Now, my son lost his diagnosis after two years of biomedical treatment. Does this work for every child? Not necessarily. Is it worth trying? Absolutely! I didn’t write this today to start a debate or make it seem like I am judging anyone’s recent choices in how they are treating their child’s autism. I am doing this so, as parents, you realize there is more than one way to treat this disorder and why not try? I am a firm believer in “heal the body and the brain will follow” and work cohesively with the traditional therapies that are most often times given as the only path for treatment. I just want you to think. Start in small steps and know that mothers like myself are here for you every step of the way. Like my husband said to me in the beginning of this journey in true marine fashion, “We will get our son back because there is no ‘can’t’ in this family.”

NOTICE: Dr. Simoncini’s book is now available in English!!

Dr. Simoncini Baking Soda Treatment For Cancer (NaHCO3)

Very Important Note
This treatment should not be used for more than three weeks at a time. During the first week no more than two TEAspoons a day of baking soda should be taken orally. During the second and third week no more than one TEAspoon a day of baking soda should be taken orally. Only under the care of a medical practitioner should these maximum internal doses be exceeded.
For skin cancers and other external cancers (inlcuding a rectal enema), where the baking soda solution comes into direct contact with the cancer, this restriction does not apply.

About the Simoncini Protocol

Did you know that the AVERAGE orthodox cancer treatment costs $350,000? This treatment costs about $3 and in most cases is far more effective than the $350,000 treatments!
This treatment was developed in Italy by an oncologist and uses baking soda or sodium bicarbonate.
This treatment is primarily used for cancer of the digestive tract, including cancers of the throat, colon, intestines, rectal area, and other cancers in between.
Cancers outside of the digestive tract generally need a health practitioner to inject the baking soda solution.
This web page is an interesting interview with Dr. Simoncini himself:http://candida-international.blogspot.com/2007/03/is-cancer-caused-by-candida-fungus.html
Also, see this video of an interview with Dr. Simoncini (high speed internet required):Dr. Simoncini Interview
For more details about his treatment see this website:Simoncini Protocol (Baking Soda)

The ICRF Recommendation For Using Highly Alkaline Protocols

Dr. Simoncini has been persecuted in his own country. We know he has lost his medical license and has been threatened with jail.
http://www.psiram.com/en/index.php/Sodium_Bicarbonate_Therapy_according_to_Simoncini
Whether he is currently in jail or not, he likely is not allowed to answer emails from cancer patients as that would be considered to be “treating cancer.”
His theory is correct, but technically cancer is caused by a bacteria which is inside of cancer cells – not a fungus. However, the fungus is highly pleormorphic.
Alkalinity CAN kill these microbes and revert the cancer cells into normal cells. Study this article:
http://www.cancertutor.com/what_causes_cancer/
We do not recommend his protocol without expert support and we are not aware of any support which is available.
However, there are three other alkaline protocols we do endorse.
There are two very good highly alkaline protocols on this website: Cellect-Budwig and Cesium Chloride. These are very proven protocols and come with expert support. Cellect contains both cesium and potassium.
If you are going to use high alkalinity as a treatment for cancer you need to work with an expert!! Cellect-Budwig is supported by Mike Vrentas and Cesium Chloride is supported by Larry of Essense-of-Life. See the left side-bar for links to these protocols.
The third protocol, the Dirt Cheap Protocol, uses fairly low doses of baking soda, but it also includes more than a dozen treatments that revert cancer cells into normal cells by killing the microbes inside the cancer cells. It is also very inexpensive:http://www.cancertutor.com/dirtcheapprotocol/
See also the ICRF Reference Manual:http://www.cancertutor.com/reference/

Preparation:
Turn the heat on, place the water and wait until it reaches boiling temperature.
Pour the cranberry juice and reduce the heat to a lower level.
Add ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon, stir the tea and leave it like that for about 20 minutes until it reaches room temperature.
Pour the lemon and orange juice and stir it briefly.
Drink and enjoy!

Magnesium is a mineral used by every organ in your body, especially your heart, muscles, and kidneys.1 If you suffer from unexplained fatigue or weakness, abnormal heart rhythms or even muscle spasms and eye twitches, low levels of magnesium could be to blame.
If you’ve recently had a blood test, you might assume it would show a magnesium deficiency. But only 1 percent of magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood, making a simple sample of magnesium from a serum magnesium blood test not very useful.
Most magnesium is stored in your bones and organs, where it is used for many biological functions. Yet, it’s quite possible to be deficient and not know it, which is why magnesium deficiency has been dubbed the “invisible deficiency.”
By some estimates, up to 80 percent of Americans are not getting enough magnesium and may be deficient. Other research shows only about 25 percent of US adults are getting the recommended daily amount of 310 to 320 milligrams (mg) for women and 400 to 420 for men.2
Even more concerning, consuming even this amount is “just enough to ward off outright deficiency,” according to Dr. Carolyn Dean, a medical and naturopathic doctor.

Magnesium Deficiency May Trigger 22 Medical Conditions

Magnesium is often thought of primarily as a mineral for your heart and bones, but this is misleading. Researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, indicating that its role in human health and disease may have been vastly underestimated.3
Magnesium is also found in more than 300 different enzymes in your body and plays a role in your body's detoxification processes, making it important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins. In addition, magnesium is necessary for:

Dr. Dean has studied and written about magnesium for more than 15 years. The latest addition of her book, The Magnesium Miracle, came out in 2014 and in it you can learn about 22 medical areas that magnesium deficiency triggers or causes, all of which have all been scientifically proven. This includes:4

Early signs of magnesium deficiency include loss of appetite, headache, nausea, fatigue, and weakness. An ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to more serious symptoms, including:

Numbness and tingling

Muscle contractions and cramps

Seizures

Personality changes

Abnormal heart rhythms

Coronary spasms

The Role of Magnesium in Diabetes, Cancer, and More

Most people do not think about magnesium when they think about how to prevent chronic disease, but it plays an essential role. For instance, there have been several significant studies about magnesium's role in keeping your metabolism running efficiently—specifically in terms of insulin sensitivity, glucose regulation, and protection from type 2 diabetes.
Higher magnesium intake reduces risk of impaired glucose and insulin metabolism and slows progression from pre-diabetes to diabetes in middle-aged Americans.5 Researchers stated, "Magnesium intake may be particularly beneficial in offsetting your risk of developing diabetes, if you are high risk."
Multiple studies have also shown that higher magnesium intake is associated with a higher bone mineral density in both men and women,6 and research from Norway has even found an association between magnesium in drinking water and a lower risk of hip fractures.7
Magnesium may even help lower your risk of cancer, and a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that higher intakes of dietary magnesium were associated with a lower risk of colorectal tumors.8
Results from the meta-analysis indicated that for every 100-mg increase in magnesium intake, the risk of colorectal tumor decreased by 13 percent, while the risk of colorectal cancer was lowered by 12 percent. The researchers noted magnesium’s anti-cancer effects may be related to its ability to reduce insulin resistance, which may positively affect the development of tumors.

Surprising Factors That Influence Your Magnesium Levels

Seaweed and green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard can be excellent sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts, and seeds, like pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds. Avocados also contain magnesium. Juicing your vegetables is an excellent option to ensure you're getting enough of them in your diet.
However, most foods grown today are deficient in magnesium and other minerals, so getting enough isn’t simply a matter of eating magnesium-rich foods (although this is important too). According to Dr. Dean:

"Magnesium is farmed out of the soil much more than calcium… A hundred years ago, we would get maybe 500 milligrams of magnesium in an ordinary diet. Now we're lucky to get 200 milligrams.”

Herbicides, like glyphosate also act as chelators, effectively blocking the uptake and utilization of minerals in so many foods grown today. As a result, it can be quite difficult to find truly magnesium-rich foods. Cooking and processing further depletes magnesium.
Meanwhile, certain foods can actually influence your body’s absorption of magnesium. If you drink alcohol in excess, for instance, it may interfere with your body’s absorption of vitamin D, which in turn is helpful for magnesium absorption. If you eat a lot of sugar, this can also cause your body to excrete magnesium through your kidneys, “resulting in a net loss,” according to Dr. Danine Fruge, associate medical director at the Pritikin Longevity Center in Florida.9 The following factors are also associated with lower magnesium levels:10

Excessive intake of soda or caffeine

Menopause

Older age (older adults are more likely to be magnesium deficient because absorption decreases with age and the elderly are more likely to take medications that can interfere with absorption)

Calcium, Vitamin K2, and Vitamin D Must Be Balanced with Magnesium

It may seem like you could remedy the risks of low magnesium simply by taking a supplement, but it’s not quite that simple. When you're taking magnesium, you need to consider calcium, vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 as well, since these all work synergistically with one another. Excessive amounts of calcium without the counterbalance of magnesium can lead to a heart attack and sudden death, for instance. Research on the Paleolithic or caveman diet has shown that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the diet that our bodies evolved to eat is 1-to-1.11Americans in general tend to have a higher calcium-to-magnesium ratio in their diet, averaging about 3.5-to-1.
If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, your muscles will tend to go into spasm, and this has consequences for your heart in particular. "What happens is, the muscle and nerve function that magnesium is responsible for is diminished. If you don't have enough magnesium, your muscles go into spasm. Calcium causes muscle to contract. If you had a balance, the muscles would do their thing. They'd relax, contract, and create their activity," Dr. Dean explains.
When balancing calcium and magnesium, also keep in mind that vitamins K2 and D need to be considered. These four nutrients perform an intricate dance together, with one supporting the other. Lack of balance between these nutrients is one of the reasons why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity. Part of the explanation for these adverse side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place. If you're K2 deficient, added calcium can cause more problems than it solves, by accumulating in the wrong places, like your soft tissue.
Similarly, if you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume it in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2 and more magnesium. Taking mega doses of vitamin D supplements without sufficient amounts of K2 and magnesium can lead to vitamin D toxicity and magnesium deficiency symptoms, which include inappropriate calcification that may damage your heart.

Tips for Increasing Your Magnesium Levels

One way to really increase your magnesium, as well as many other important plant-based nutrients, is by juicing your greens. I typically drink one pint to one quart of fresh green vegetable juice every day, and this is one of my primary sources of magnesium. Organic foods may have more magnesium if grown in nutrient-rich soils but it is very difficult to make that determination. If you opt for a supplement, be aware that there are a wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market, because magnesium must be bound to another substance. There's simply no such thing as a 100 percent magnesium supplement.
The substance used in any given compound can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits. The table that follows summarizes some of the differences between the various forms. Magnesium threonate and citrate are some of the best sources, as it seems to penetrate cell membranes, including your mitochondria, which results in higher energy levels. Additionally, it also penetrates your blood-brain barrier and seems to do wonders to treat and prevent dementia and improve memory. If you take a supplement, you can use the “bowel test” to determine if you’re taking too much magnesium. Dr. Dean explains:12

“The best way to tell if you are getting enough magnesium is the “bowel test”. You know when you have too much magnesium when your stools become loose. This, in fact, may be a blessing for people with constipation… [which] is one of the many ways magnesium deficiency manifests.”

Besides taking a supplement, another way to improve your magnesium status is to take regular Epsom salt baths or foot baths. Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate that can absorb into your body through your skin. Magnesium oil can also be used for topical application and absorption. Whatever supplement you choose, be sure to avoid any containing magnesium stearate, a common but potentially hazardous additive.

Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency.

Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to an organic acid or a fatty acid. Contains 60 percent magnesium, and has stool softening properties

Magnesium chloride/Magnesium lactate contain only 12 percent magnesium, but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium oxide, which contains five times more magnesium

Magnesium sulfate/Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as laxatives. Be aware that it's easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed

Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body and mind

Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which like most magnesium supplements has laxative properties but is well absorbed and cost effective

Magnesium threonate is a newer, emerging type of magnesium supplement that appears promising, primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane, and may be the best magnesium supplement on the market

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

HEALTH TIP: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) ranks up there as one of the best household remedies. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the few “miracle substances” still available to the general public; it is safe, readily available, and dirt cheap. And best of all, it works!

Did you know that you probably had your first sip of hydrogen peroxide shortly after you took your first breath? That’s right… mother’s m...ilk (especially colostrum) contains extremely high concentrations of H2O2. In light of the fact that we know that one of the main functions of mother’s milk is to activate and stimulate the immune system in the infant, the fact that it contains abnormally large amounts of H2O2 makes sense.

As far back as the early nineteenth century, hydrogen peroxide was widely used in medicine. Many bacterial diseases (including syphilis) responded to H2O2 when no other treatment was effective. In the early twentieth century, H2O2 was used to treat several common diseases, such as whooping cough, cholera, typhoid fever, ulcers, tuberculosis, and asthma. However, as the pharmaceutical industry began to develop expensive, new drugs, hydrogen peroxide was increasingly ignored and finally discarded as a treatment.

H2O2 stimulates natural killer (NK) cells, which attack cancer cells as they attempt to spread throughout the body. In the body’s immune response, hydrogen peroxide is released by T-cells to destroy invading bacteria, viruses and fungi. Blood platelets release hydrogen peroxide on encountering particulates in blood. In the large intestine, acidophilus lactobacillus produces H2O2 which keeps the ubiquitous candida yeast from multiplying out of control. When candida spreads out of the intestine, it escapes the natural control system and can gain a foothold in the organs of the body, causing what is called chronic fatigue syndrome.

During flu season, if the kiddos feel like they’re getting sick, we lay them down on their side and put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into their ear. After a few seconds, the liquid will bubble, indicating that it is killing the infection. After 5 or 10 minutes, we turn them over and repeat on the other ear. No one yet fully understands the complete workings of hydrogen peroxide, but we do know that it is loaded with oxygen. We know that when H2O2 is taken into the body (orally or intravenously) the oxygen content of the blood and body tissues increases dramatically.

Hydrogen peroxide can also be used as a natural bleach to whiten clothes, as a spray to kill foot fungus, as a nasal spray to fight sinus infections, as an effective and inexpensive mouthwash, along with baking soda for natural toothpaste, and along with vinegar to create a non-toxic disinfecting agent. In tests run at Virginia Tech, the combination of H2O2 and vinegar (used as a spray mist) kills virtually all salmonella and E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces.

Please remember that the hydrogen peroxide that is available at your local pharmacy (3% hydrogen peroxide) should NEVER be ingested orally, since it contains many stabilizers. The only grade recommended for internal use is 35% Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide, which must be properly diluted down to 3% with water. I personally use hydrogen peroxide each night before bed as a rinse and also a natural teeth whitener.See More

You probably have at least one box of baking soda in your home right now. If you're like many Americans, you might have a box in your pantry for baking, one in your refrigerator to absorb odors and another under your kitchen sink to use for cleaning.
What you might not have considered is that baking soda can be used for health purposes, too, so you might want to stash another box in your medicine cabinet.

What Exactly Is Baking Soda?

It's 100 percent sodium bicarbonate, which can be used as a leavening agent in baked goods. When mixed with an acid, baking soda reacts, making bubbles and giving off carbon dioxide gas, which causes dough to rise. Anecdotal reports throughout history suggest that many civilizations used forms of baking soda when making bread and other foods that required rising.
In its natural form, baking soda is known as nahcolite, which is part of the natural mineral natron. Natron, which contains large amounts of sodium bicarbonate, has been used since ancient times. And no, you don't need to get aluminum-free baking soda (you are confusing that with baking powder), as baking soda is already aluminum free.…
For instance, the Egyptians used natron as a soap for cleansing purposes. However, it wasn't until 1846 that Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight began to manufacture and sell the compound we know as baking soda today. By the 1860s, baking soda was featured in published cookbooks but was still primarily known as a cooking additive.1 By the 1920s, however, its versatility was expanded on and by the 1930s it was widely advertised as a "proven medical agent."

11 Ways to Use Baking Soda for Your Health

You can purchase a box of baking soda for under $1, making it one of the least expensive home remedies to keep on hand. In addition to using it for minor accidents and injuries, baking soda can become a part of your regular hygiene routine. 1. Natural Deodorant

If you want to avoid the parabens and aluminum found in many deodorants and antiperspirants, try a pinch of baking soda mixed with water instead. This simple paste makes an effective and simple natural deodorant. You can also simply brush some dry baking soda under your arms.

2. Insect Bites and Poison Ivy

Apply a paste made of baking soda and water to insect bites to help relieve itching. You can also try rubbing the dry powder onto your skin. This is also effective for itchy rashes and poison ivy. Baking soda helps to relieve minor skin irritation and itching by neutralizing toxins and irritants on your skin's surface.2

3. Heartburn, Indigestion, and Ulcer Pain

Most over-the-counter antacids contain some form of bicarbonate. Baking soda works by immediately neutralizing stomach acid, helping to relieve heartburn, indigestion and even ulcer pain. I have personally recommended this to many, including family members, and have been surprised how remarkably effective it is.
Dosing is typically ½ teaspoon fully dissolved in a half a glass of water, taken every two hours (do not take more than seven ½ teaspoons in 24 hours, or three ½ teaspoons if you're over 60).3
This should only be used as an occasional (not chronic) treatment, however, and be careful not to consume excessive amounts, which can cause serious electrolyte and acid/base imbalances.4

4. Foot Soak and Exfoliator

Add three tablespoons of baking soda to a tub of warm water for an invigorating foot soak. You can scrub your feet with a baking soda paste for additional exfoliation. A paste made from three parts of baking soda combined with one part water can be used as an exfoliator for your face and body, too. It's natural, inexpensive and gentle enough to use every day.

5.Relaxing Soak

Baking soda and apple cider make a wonderful spa-like bath for soaking. It also cleans the tub and the drain, as a bonus!

6. Hand Cleanser

Mix three parts baking soda with one part of water to make a natural hand cleanser that will scrub away dirt and neutralize odors.

7. Splinter removal

Add a tablespoon of baking soda to a small glass of water, then soak the affected area twice a day. Many splinters will come out on their own after a couple of days using this treatment.

8. Sunburn Remedy

Add ½ cup of baking soda to lukewarm bathwater, then soak in the tub for natural relief. When you get out, let your skin air dry, rather than toweling off the excess baking soda, for extra relief. You can also add a mixture of baking soda and water to a cool compress and apply it to the sunburn directly.

9. Enhanced Sports Performance

Distance runners have long engaged in a practice known as "soda doping" -- or taking baking soda capsules -- before races to enhance performance, a measure that's thought to work similarly to carbohydrate loading. It's also been shown to improve speed among swimmers.5 While I don't suggest you try this at home, it's another example of baking soda benefits. Researchers noted:6

"Essentially, sodium bicarbonate is an alkali substance that increases the pH of the blood. This seems to reduce and offset the acidity produced in the muscles during intense, anaerobic exercise that produces lactic acid most quickly, such as fast running or swimming."

10. Tooth and Gum Paste

Baking soda has a mild abrasive action that helps to remove plaque and polish, clean, and deodorize your teeth.7 One review of data from five controlled clinical studies found that toothpaste containing baking soda "enhanced plaque removal effectiveness of tooth brushing to a significantly greater extent" than brushing with a non-baking soda toothpaste.8
Baking soda also has antibacterial activity and has been found to kill Streptococcus mutans bacteria – a significant contributor to tooth decay.9 For an incredibly effective tooth and gum paste, use a mixture of six parts of baking soda to one part of sea salt.
Place them in a blender and mix for 30 seconds, then place in a container to use. Wet the tip of your index finger and place a small amount of the salt and soda mixture on your gums.
Starting with the upper outside gums and then the inside of the upper, followed by the lower outside of the gums then the lower inside, rub the mixture onto your teeth and gums. Spit out the excess. After 15 minutes rinse your mouth. This mixture is incredibly effective at killing bacteria.10
You need to exert some caution in this area though as many believe baking soda can be too abrasive on your enamel, and Dr. Curatola believes that killing the oral microbiome may be highly counterproductive.

11. Teeth whitener

For a natural way to whiten your teeth, crush one ripe strawberry and mix it with 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Spread the mixture onto your teeth and leave on for five minutes. Then brush your teeth and rinse. This method should be used no more than once a week, as excessive use could potentially damage your tooth enamel.

How to Use Baking Soda as a Natural Cleanser

If you find it hard to believe that something as simple and inexpensive as baking soda could really clean your home, consider this: baking soda was used to clean and restore the inner copper walls of the Statute of Liberty during its 1986 restoration. It effectively removed grime without damaging the copper11 – so think it might work around your home, too? Here are some of baking soda's top uses for cleaning:

Baking soda is great to scrub your bath and kitchen with. Put it in a glass grated cheese container with a stainless steel top that has holes in it, and just sprinkle the baking soda on the surfaces and scrub. You may add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to this. Lavender and tea tree oil have potent anti-bacterial qualities.

Baking soda mixed with apple cider vinegar is a bubbly combination that has many uses. As a drain cleaner, sprinkle baking soda down the drain, then add apple cider vinegar and let it bubble for 15 minutes, then rinse with hot water. This is a safer alternative to dangerous drain cleaners.

Soak pots and pans in hot water and baking soda for 15 minutes to easily wipe away baked-on food.

Use baking soda to scrub your barbecue grill.

Clean baby toys in a mixture of 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of water.

Baking soda can also be used as a fabric softener in your laundry, or to get your clothes whither and brighter (add one cup to your laundry load).

Baking soda is a natural carpet cleaner. Sprinkle it onto carpets, let it sit for 15 minutes, then vacuum it up.

To polish silver without using toxic silver polish, fill your kitchen sink with hot water, add a sheet of aluminum foil and baking soda, and let the silver pieces soak until clean. It is an easy and fun way to clean silver.

Sprinkle baking soda in your shoes for a natural deodorizer.

In the event of a minor grease fire in your kitchen, use baking soda to help smother out the flames.

Sprinkle baking soda on a vegetable brush to help remove dirt and residue from fruits and veggies.

Make a paste of baking soda and water and use it to scrub away grime from your shower and bath.

Tea Tree Oil - Tea tree oil addresses a wide range of skin conditions, and it can gently remove skin tags as well. Soak a cotton swab in the oil and rub it over the skin tag very gently, using circular motions. Do this twice a day until the skin tag disappears.

Aloe Vera - It’s important that you use pure aloe vera extract for this remedy to work; you cannot use lotion with aloe vera added. Rub some onto the skin tag twice per day, every day. The skin tag should disappear within two weeks.

Pineapple Juice - The acid in the pineapple juice can easily remove skin tags. Use the same method above, and be sure you don’t wash off the pineapple juice once it’s applied. The skin tag should be gone within a week or two.

Lemon Juice - As with pineapple juice, the natural acid in lemon juice will gently erode the skin tag when applied twice per day. Chances are you already have lemon juice in your refrigerator, so why not try it today? With regular applications of the juice, your skin tag can be gone within the next week.

Apple Cider Vinegar - This too is very acidic and will remove the skin tag naturally, but the vinegar takes longer to work than the juices mentioned above. If you apply it with a cotton ball every day, twice per day, you may see the tag gone within a month.

Aspirin - Dissolve an aspirin tablet in a quarter cup of water and then soak a cotton ball in this mixture. Dab this onto the skin tag and cover the area with a band-aid, not removing the solution from the skin tag. The aspirin mixture will soak in and fade the skin tag. For this to work, you need actual aspirin; this is not a time to substitute ibuprofen or acetaminophen as you might when you get a headache!

Castor Oil and Baking Soda - To use this method, make a thick paste of the castor oil and the baking soda and then apply it to your skin tag. Cover it with a bandage and leave it on overnight. In the morning, wash with warm water and repeat unit the tag disappears, usually within two weeks.

Vitamin E Oil - As with aloe vera, you need to use pure vitamin E oil and not a lotion or cream with the oil simply added. Rub some of the oil on the skin tag twice per day, every day. The skin tag should disappear within about ten days.

Potato - Cut a thin slice of white potato and put it over the skin tag and hold it in place with a bandage. Wear this for a few hours, until the slice feels dry. Repeat this every day until the skin tag disappears, usually within a week.

Banana Peel - The potassium and other essential minerals in bananas help to remove skin tags, and you can treat yours by slicing a small part of a banana peel and placing it onto your skin tag at night. Be sure the inside of the peel is facing your skin tag, and keep it in place with a bandage. Wear it overnight and gently wipe the skin tag in the morning. Do this every night until the skin tag is gone, usually within two weeks.

If your skin tag is very stubborn, see a dermatologist. He or she may be able to quickly freeze it off with dry ice, use a topical ointment that dries the skin tag, or remove it with a laser. These are all painless procedures that can be done in one visit, and your skin tag can be gone just that quickly!